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Tricep Dips
PushCompoundBarre parallèleBeginner
Muscles worked
Front
Back
TricepsChestShoulders
Instructions
- 1To get into the starting position, hold your body at arm's length with your arms nearly locked above the bars.
- 2Now, inhale and slowly lower yourself downward. Your torso should remain upright and your elbows should stay close to your body. This helps to better focus on tricep involvement. Lower yourself until there is a 90 degree angle formed between the upper arm and forearm.
- 3Then, exhale and push your torso back up using your triceps to bring your body back to the starting position.
- 4Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
About Tricep Dips
Tricep dips on parallel bars are a compound bodyweight movement. By keeping the torso upright and the elbows close to the body, you primarily target the triceps, with help from the chest and shoulders. It's a complete exercise for building upper-body strength and mass.
check_circleBenefits
- check_circleWorks the triceps with assistance from the chest and shoulders
- check_circleBodyweight exercise, easy to scale up or add weight to
- check_circleBuilds upper-body pushing power
lightbulbExecution tips
- lightbulbKeep the torso as upright as possible to target the triceps
- lightbulbKeep the elbows tucked close to the body as you descend
- lightbulbLower until the elbows reach roughly 90 degrees
- lightbulbLock out at the top without shrugging the shoulders
warningCommon mistakes
- warningDipping too low and overloading the front of the shoulder
- warningLeaning the torso forward, which shifts load to the chest
- warningFlaring the elbows and losing the triceps focus
- warningUsing jerky reps instead of controlled movement
helpFrequently asked questions
How do I target the triceps rather than the chest on dips?expand_more
Keep the torso upright and the elbows tucked; leaning forward and flaring the elbows shifts the work to the chest.
Are tricep dips bad for the shoulders?expand_more
They're safe if you don't drop below 90 degrees at the elbow and keep the shoulders down; avoid excessive depth.
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